%Unit: Perimeter & Area% %Grade level: 10- Geometry% %Time ...

Title: “How would you define area?”
Objective: After this lesson is complete, students will have the general
understanding that area is the number of units that fit within a figure. From these
observations, students will be developing formulas based upon their discoveries.
Procedure:
We shall begin the class by discussing area. I will be asking the students such
questions as, “How would you define area?”, “What kinds of things have area?”, and
having the students distinguish the differences between perimeter, area and volume.
I will ask the students to recall the definition of area that we discussed on day 1.
After I feel that students generally have an idea of area, we shall begin the activity.
Activity:
1) Nailing Down Area: An introduction activity to the geoboard
to help students to better understand the meaning of area.
2) Students will get with a partner (the student sitting beside
them), and each pair will be given a geoboard (including rubber
bands), and geoboard paper (a piece for each student). As a
class we will quickly review the rules of the geoboard.
3) I will give the students about five minutes to “play” with the
geoboards. This will allow to students to see how they can
form different shapes and such with the rubber bands and the
pegs.
4) While the students are “playing” with the geoboards, I will be
putting a few questions on the black board. These questions
will consist of:
‣ Create a triangle whose area is half of a unit.
‣ Create quadrilaterals whose area is exactly 1 unit.
‣ Create quadrilaterals/triangles whose area is larger than
1 unit.
5) The students will now begin to work on the questions that I
have written on the board. The students will also begin to
generate some formulas for the area of quadrilaterals. Once
students have generated a formula for quadrilaterals I will then
encourage them to use that information to develop a formula
for triangles. As a class we will review the student’s
observations and their formulas they have developed. I will be
asking for volunteers to come to the overhead and present their
findings.
Conclusion: As a closing to this activity, I will be putting a picture of an
arbitrary shape on the overhead. I will ask the students to tell me what the closed